Recreation

North Platte near Casper provides abundance of large fish

CASPER — The beckon of big fish can be powerful, the tug long and strong enough to extend the length of rivers and pull anglers across state lines.

Especially in times like these, when open water remains a scarcity, the enticement toward arenas reputed for their ability to cultivate a whopper can draw the piscatorially afflicted to the river like a heathen seeking salvation. With open eyes and receptive ears, it takes little coaxing to attract a willing new disciple to the gospel of Gray Reef.

"We've been catching some pretty nice fish up here," Greg Mueller, head guide at Wyoming Fly Fishing guide service in Casper, said over the phone Thursday. "Tomorrow is supposed to be in the 40s, overcast but no wind. That's the day you want for fishing."

Greg Mueller, head guide at Casper-based Wyoming Fly Fishing, releases a healthy rainbow trout caught near Gray Reef Reservoir on the North Platte River southwest of Casper. (Scott Willoughby, The Denver Post)

It was indeed the day I wanted.

The headwaters of the North Platte River are essentially all of Jackson County, what Coloradans know as the icy stronghold of North Park. From there the river heads north about 200 miles to Casper, pausing at a series of dams that include Alcova and Gray Reef, and the storied rainbow trout fisheries surrounding them. By early March, the North Platte at Gray Reef comes to life with the energy of the impending spawn as about 9,000 fish per mile feed heavily to replenish strength lost over a long winter.

"A lot of people like to come up and fish what they call 'the spawn,' but we're not fishing for spawning fish. A lot of times, we're casting to fish feeding on eggs below the spawning fish, trying not to target them," said Mueller, a Casper native who began as one the first three guides at Gray Reef in 1991. "It's not really sporting to go after these fish on the spawn. They're easy targets. But you can fish those holes behind them, and the fish are set up and ready to eat eggs.

"I mean, that's the deal. That's probably one of the biggest sources of protein for those fish in springtime. In this fishery, I think more than any other fishery, the fish eat eggs. I am amazed at how lucky we are that they do, because once you find the deep water behind those spawning fish, you can target all those fish in there and catch even more."

Coming from Colorado, where tailwater fisheries tend toward the hypertechnical requirements of tiny hooks, spider web-thin leaders and delicate presentations, the forgiving river north of the border serves as an ideal area to chisel the winter rust off of a fly rod. A thick 3X leader tied to a size 8 hook wrapped in red to imitate an annelid worm will do the trick in many cases, better still when trailed by a similar-sized purple leech pattern.

Landing some 20 fish in just a couple of hours, the egg pattern proved unnecessary as Mueller's drift boat recirculated in a pool holding several trout over 5 pounds and stretching to more than 20 inches.

"Most clients like to land fish, and the bigger the hooks you can get away with up here, the better off you are," Mueller said. "We caught one on a streamer last week that measured at 26 inches."

Heavier tackle also works in an angler's favor when the staple Wyoming winds of March kick up, as they've been known to do. While Wyoming Fly Fishing offers discounted rates for guided float trips throughout the month in recognition of the unpredictable weather, the right day can also yield dry-fly-fishing opportunities with midge hatches already drawing surface strikes from above-average-sized trout.

"Those fish down in Colorado all have Ph.D.s," Mueller said, adding that about 80 percent of the 1,000-plus trips his staff guides annually are booked by Coloradans. "They're not as well educated up here."

Anglers considering the 3½-hour drive from Denver up to Casper will want to keep an eye on river flows before heading to the North Platte. The river is now running at a comfortable 500 cubic feet per second at Gray Reef, although the annual flushing flow of about 4,000 cfs is tentatively scheduled to begin Monday and continue nightly for about a week. The minor inconvenience serves to regenerate biomass in the river and spread fish out along the 20 miles of quality water connecting Alcova and Casper.

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